


Love lifts us up where we belong

by Nemrac



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Picnics, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, They go on a getaway, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25150264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemrac/pseuds/Nemrac
Summary: It’s just us now. We saved the world by saving ourselves. We defeated hate masked as peace by fighting with love masked as a war between us.We belong here, next to each other. Together, once again.We have our friends, we have their company, but most importantly, we have each other.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra/She-Ra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 37





	Love lifts us up where we belong

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something, but I found it to be kinda hard. I feel like one of those people who appear on Nailed It!, like it may not be pretty, but it’s edible. Anyways, enjoy the food!

After all those times Catra tried to hurt her and actually succeeded, Adora still believed in her and came back to save her from what seemed like the point of no return. Catra can’t say she never thought about it or that she ever lost faith in Adora. Horde Prime knew and he tried to rub it in her face, but it still amazes her how everything changed between Adora and her, how they both found each other again and how they promised themselves to stay that way.

And it amazes Catra to see her like this, waking up next to her, not just like her childhood friend after a sleepover but as the love of her life, looking so ethereal with her golden hair drenched in the early rays of the morning that come through the window of Adora’s bedroom, their bedroom, in a palace she would have never seen herself living in. Catra caresses her face while Adora refuses to wake up, telling her to stay in bed for a little longer. Life feels so good now, they can have this kind of lazy moments that would have felt like a luxury during the war. She could spend the rest of her life like this.

“Come on, there’s no need to be up so early”, Adora complains with her eyes closed.

“Huh. Look at us now, who would have thought Adora would be waking up after dawn and the oh-so-lazy Catra would be the first one to wake up”, Catra teases.

“Hey, but _I am_ the First One”, Adora says playfully, barely opening one of her eyes just to see her girlfriend’s reaction.

“Dork”, she buries Adora’s face with one of the sheets, which only starts a giggle.

“Catra, we don’t have any meetings today or anything else to do, at least not that I had kept on my schedule”.

“So?”, Catra raises an eyebrow and her ears twitched.

“So do you want us to go to the Whispering Woods like you suggested a couple weeks ago?”, she responds while getting the sheets out of her face and looking right into Catra’s mismatched eyes, making the catgirl soften her expression.

“Yeah?”.

Adora nods.

“Yeah, we can do that”.

“Just tell me what you had in mind. Do you want to bring Melog with us?”.

“I was thinking just the two of us. Besides, they seemed very interested in Bow’s arrows the other day and he kept inviting them to see how he made all his artifacts”.

“In that case, I’ll go get ready for my beautiful girlfriend” Adora gets up, kisses Catra’s forehead and winks before entering the bathroom.

That soft and little act of love can make her feel so much better about herself and the world, like all that time they spent apart from each other was necessary for both of them to understand themselves better, to learn and to heal. Though Catra knew she wanted this, she wanted her from a long time ago, even if she denied it, they probably wouldn’t have work it out as they did now.

Sometimes she’d ponder about it, just like she was doing it now, instead of just trying to think what would she wear or bring to the Woods. If they were going to follow Catra’s idea, they would have a picnic. Luckily, Catra knew that Adora now would eat more things other than ration bars because it wasn’t like there wasn’t any other food in the Fight Zone or the outposts, but Adora was just so square to try anything else. She laughed at the memory and started to pack up some stuff they could need, before they could store the food.

One of the reasons Catra had considered getting away with her girlfriend was because she wanted to make some kind of grand gesture, but didn’t know how, despite knowing the girl of her dreams all of her life. When they were kids, they used to say that they would explore the world, which they kind of did during the war, but in a different approach to what the young Catra and Adora would have pictured. So maybe that getaway could be something.

While Adora is still in the bathroom, Catra writes on paper some things she wanted to say, from the times she ached at the very thought of seeing her as the one who would never reciprocate her feelings, to the awful times she would hurt her in exchange for leaving her in the Fright Zone. She wants to express those changes in their dynamic. She scraps some lines and stops writing as soon as she hears Adora coming close to open the bathroom door, poorly hiding the notes in her hand.

“What do you think?”, she asks, announcing herself, stepping out of the bathroom with a sleeveless white top and loose-fitted gray pants, adjusted by her classic belt with that angel wing pin, not really changing the color palette she was so accustomed to wear, as she has some reddish boots too.

Unknowingly, Catra just stares in awe, reminiscent of the first time she saw Adora transform into her new She-Ra form.

“You look pretty good”, is the only coherent thing that comes out of Catra’s mouth.

“Yeah?”, Adora innocently asks.

It was funny how she could be so smug at times, yet that would change when she was alone with Catra, and vice-versa.

“You know you could wear a paper bag and still look good”, Catra assures her, trying to regain that confidence.

Adora just smiles fondly.

“Well, I should better get ready too”, Catra states, taking her notes with her. “Oh, and I already packed some stuff, we just need the food”, says, stepping back, before closing the door.

“Oh, okay. Thanks, babe!”, Adora almost shouts, immediately blushing. “ _Babe_? Do I call her babe now?”, she whispers to herself, seemingly forgetting that Catra’s hearing was way better than her own.

Catra tries to contain her laughter, although she is pretty sure her tail gave her away. She sighs and keeps daydreaming while getting herself cleaned. She knows it wasn’t a competition, but seeing Adora trying a different outfit just for her makes Catra consider wearing something else. Maybe today was the day she tried on some of the clothes Glimmer sent her “just in case she wanted to dress up for a date with a certain blonde”. Of course, she rolled her eyes back then, but appreciated the gesture none the less.

After looking at different clothes, she opts for a pair of burgundy pants and a black crop top -she can see Bow’s influence in Glimmer’s selection. She notices Glimmer had left her some pairs of shoes, even what seemed like two very formal black shoes with some golden details. While she is thankful at the queen’s thoughtfulness, she dislikes the restraining sensation of actually wearing shoes, so that isn’t going to be anytime soon.

Catra’s short hair was not something she chose, she hated to think of the reason why it was cut, the memories always haunted her and sometimes she would feel herself spiraling again, -Melog had been pretty helpful when that happened. However, it was different when she customized it after being saved by Adora -in so many ways- when she was rescued. Shehad considered growing it again, but for now she liked how little time she needed to get ready. Adora found it cute too, often playing with it in their intimacy, inducing Catra’s purrs.

Adora was constantly in her mind since they met, going through different stages of friendship, infatuation, resentment, hate -or so she had insisted-, reconnection and love. She was enamored and she wouldn’t deny it anymore, unconsciously grinning whenever she saw that gorgeous blonde.

Catra looks at reflection in the mirror, after brushing her teeth and fixing her hair, reminding herself to bring the notes and maybe think of something else she could add later. As she opens the door, she notices Adora is staring at two full bags and a basket, standing with a hand on her hips and the other one on her chin, in that pensive expression she would adopt whenever she was planning something.

“What’s all this?”, Catra asks, getting close to her girlfriend, hugging her from behind.

“Oh, it’s the stuff you had packed, plus some food I asked the kitchen staff for”, Adora responds sheepishly, still not turning around.

“Adora, we’re just going out for a few hours”, Catra knows Adora enjoyed food more than her and that she could get pretty hungry, yet she can’t help but laugh when seeing that big amount.

“You don’t know that”.

“Well, the food here is very good, I’ll give you that”, her tail still moves in amusement.

Adora smiles. Catra steps on her tiptoes and kisses her cheek.

“I’m ready when you are”.

“Oh, I _am_ , princess”, Catra replies. That nickname that she had used in the past to tease Adora when they were on opposite sides of the war remains there, now as part of the playful banter between them.

As Adora turns around and sees Catra’s outfit, she gasps.

“Wow. You- you look amazing”, Adora barely articulates, staring, stunned by her feline beauty.

“Thanks, _babe_ ” _,_ Catra replies, surely making her girlfriend a little embarrassed. “This was part of Sparkle’s generosity. Well, she gave me some shoes too”.

That makes Adora laugh a bit.

“One can only dream”, she just says quietly and continues. “I’m assuming you would rather walk than go on Swift Wind’s back”.

“And you’re right, princess. I don’t know how you guys don’t get dizzy when you’re on his back”, she changes her tone. “Besides, the idea is to be just the two of us, alone together. We’re constantly surrounded by people here”.

“I’d love that. To be just us, I mean”, Adora states and gives her a peck.

They grab their bags and go outside, telling the guards they would be out for a while. If it wasn’t for Glimmer, being so accepting of her, and also that little perk of being She-Ra’s girlfriend, Catra would have felt so uneasy walking in that palace. Now she would wanderaround there, often with Melog, sometimes with Bow and Glimmer, on some occasions with the other princesses, but mostly by Adora’s side.

…

The way to the Whispering Woods is somewhat short, as the entrance is so close to the palace it can actually be seen from their bedroom’s window. They hold hands the entire time, as they would often do when they were just children, their small gesture of endearment and protection.

After walking for a while, they gaze into each other’s eyes and, without saying it out loud, decide to go further, until they get to a clearing where they spot some wildflowers in different shades of purple and violet, and crystal clear butterflies. Adora can’t contain her wonder, squeezing Catra’s hand lightly.

“So? Do we stop here?”, Catra asks, although she already knows the answer.

Adora nods.

They put the bags down, unpacking a blanket and two water bottles, taking a sip before doing anything else. They put the blanket on the ground and sit down. Adora contemplates her surroundings as she drinks, being so fascinated by the colors of the forest, she doesn’t notice her girlfriend’s stare.

“It is so peaceful”, Adora comments.

Catra doesn’t reply, as her purring is enough to make Adora know she feels the same way. She can hear a stream nearby, some distant buzzing and chirping. The Etherian ecosystems that were already so flashy when she got to explore different parts of the world, now appeared enhanced by the magic She-Ra set free.

“Do you want to have something from the basket, Adora? I’m surprised you haven’t said a word about being hungry”.

“Yes, please”, she answers, smiling sheepishly.

“There you go, _babe_ ”, Catra hands the basket to her girlfriend, with a smirk.

“You won’t let it go, will you?”.

“I’m not letting _you_ go, princess”, she approaches the blonde and kisses her, quickly making her melt into the kiss until they get interrupted by Adora’s stomach growling and their giggles. “Well, that settles it”, she says as she gives her another peck.

Adora opens the basket and then goes for one of the bags, where she had stored something too. Catra doesn’t know exactly what was all the food her girlfriend had packed, only guided by the smell of different fruits, breads and a couple of savory dishes, that she kept sensing all the way to the clearing. Adora hands her different foods she could choose from and as the catgirl is hungry too, she takes most of the items, intrigued by the savory smell, she decides to try one of the dishes too.

They eat comfortably, with their own silence and the noise of their surroundings: the leaves of some trees, the birds, the bugs and their constant buzzing and the stream that only Catra could hear in that spot. The tip of Catra’s tail moves very lightly, as she sees the girl of her dreams eating next to her and the wind carries the smells of the flowers.

When they finish their food, they get up, save the rest of it and just admire the view. The crystal clear butterflies are still around, looking for nectar in the wildflowers. Some golden and cobalt blue bugs fly from the ground to other plants.

Catra sits down again, putting her head in Adora’s shoulder and takes the blonde’s hand in her own.

“You know?, there’s a stream nearby”, Catra affirms. “Not too big, though. Maybe if we walk for about five minutes you’ll start hearing it too”.

“Let’s go then, if you want to”, Adora offers.

…

They leave their bags in the clearing. If there was any danger, Catra could probably hear it too. She didn’t know if she actually trusted her abilities that much or if she was getting reckless since she got to hang out with Bow and Glimmer more.

After walking for just a few minutes, going up the slight slope, through some trees again, they arrive to the stream, where they appreciate the water and the vegetation that grew in its soft borders. The flowers are different there, some of them light pink, with short petals and long stamens holding dark orange colored pollen; other flowers look all yellow and tiny. Some blue-green iridescent bugs fly near them.

Catra never imagined she would love to see nature like this, to actually contemplate it and let it fill up her senses. The life plan she would state she wanted back in the Horde couldn’t be any more contrary to what she had now, the fearful Force Captain invading and destroying land had turned into this. Gladly, her train of thought gets interrupted by Adora.

“Your hearing and smelling abilities will never cease to amaze me. It’s great to have a naturally powerful girlfriend”.

“Says the First One who turns into a giant glowing warrior”.

“I know you have a soft spot for her”, Adora claims, turning on her glowing blue eyes just to mess with her. “There may even be rumors that you _really_ like her arms”, she whispers in a very teasing tone.

Catra’s ears turn back and she blushes a little bit, looking at Adora displaying those new clothes, impossibly gorgeous, now her eyes going back to their usual color.

“Oh, shut up, princess”.

Catra kisses her, putting her hands in the blonde’s hair, playing with it as she deepens the kiss. It drives her crazy. She can touch her, smell her and taste her.

While they may have been shy when they finally admitted their love, there was no doubt that they were aching deeply for each other, and all that time they were separated, longing, constantly craving for their company, manifested itself in a seemingly endless hunger. Now they could act on it, often allowing themselves to be carried away when they were alone in their bedroom, getting that satisfaction they deserved.

They stop. When Catra opens her eyes, she is met by the softest blue gaze. Their foreheads touch, the catgirl purrs and they remain like that for a minute, cooling down from their heated kiss.

“I can see why you wanted to come here”, Adora says quietly, putting her hand on Catra’s.

“Yeah?”, Catra’s ears move.

They get apart.

“It’s beautiful here. We were told lots of stories of the Whispering Woods as kids, some of them as scary tales, but this place is so vast and full of magic. No wonder why Razz lives in the woods”.

“Yeah, I guess it is. It got brighter after you set the magic free. It looks more colorful and, I don’t know, balanced?”.

“Yeah…”.

“But that’s not the main reason why I brought you here”, she shields herself with one of her arms and unconsciously lowers her ears.

“Catra, is everything alright?”.

“There’s something I want to talk about”. Catra breathes in. “Stars, this is hard”, she whispers.

Adora’s expression turns more serious.

“I- there are so many memories I have about the Woods, but…”. She remembers the different scenes that had went between the two ever since they escaped in the skiff before Adora found the sword and they engaged in a different war than the one already happening with the Horde and the princesses. Before everything changed.

She can feel Adora’s worried stare.

As the discomfort is creeping in, she decides to fight against it and continues: “It’s just that we got separated in the Woods over and over again. When you found the sword, when all that portal stuff happened and when I left you before you went to the Heart”, she takes a deep breath, feeling Adora’s reassuring touch. “I wanted to make some new memories here, with you. Just the two of us. No more separations or running away”.

“Catra, we won’t fall apart again”, Adora speaks confidently.

“I truly hope we don’t. I wouldn’t stand it”.

“I won’t let that happen. Whatever happens in the future, we’ll figure it out together. I promise”.

“I love you, Adora. And believe me when I say I am trying to work on the awful things of the past so we can move on to the future. Melog has been so helpful with that. I’m done with running away. I want to be better so we can be better together”.

“Awww, Catra”, Adora looks so lovestruck. A few strands of hair mark her face, moved by the wind.

“There are so many things I want to tell you, but sometimes I don’t know how to put them into words. I tried to do it anyway”. Catra takes out the notes and begins to read: “ _It’s just us now. We saved the world by saving ourselves. We defeated hate masked as peace by fighting with love masked as a war between us. We belong here, next to each other. Together, once again. We have our friends, we have their company, but most importantly, we have each other_ ”.

“You… you wrote that?”, Adora stares perplexed, her lips parted.

Catra nods. “And there’s another thing I need to say”. She starts to feel nervous, but keeps speaking: “There’s no doubt I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but after talking to Netossa the other day, I realized I want to have a love pact like the one she has with Spinnerella”. She breathes in. “I want to marry you”. Catra takes her hand. “So, what do you say, Adora? Would you like to be married to me?”.

Adora is left speechless, blinking before her eyes are filled with tears of joy. They only sounds come from the environment. She sighs and finally answers: “More than anything”, embracing Catra, the love of her life, kissing her enthusiastically and smiling.

Catra’s ears perk up, she can feel like they were almost glowing. When she opens her eyes, she realizes they _are_. She meets She-Ra’s gaze, who snorts a laugh before stating again: “I love you, babe”.

“You’re such a dork. I love you too, princess”.

“I guess this really improves the memories of the Whispering Woods, doesn’t it?”.

“It really does”.

Although it was clear that they always wanted to be together for their lifetimes, ever since they were kids, Catra feared she was moving too fast and that Adora would reject what she proposed.

As soon as she takes Catra’s hand, Adora transforms back into her usual physique. They walk again, returning for their bags and basket, surprisingly intact, just a couple of bugs standing on one of the bags. They grab their blanket and begin their way back to the palace.

…

Catra knows they’ll have to tell Bow and Glimmer about these news and that Glimmer won’t shut up about being right for selecting the “special date clothes” and that Bow won’t cease to tell them they are so cute, probably being more sentimental than any of them, and it won’t be too long before all the Princess Alliance members know about it and annoy Catra to death about it. She sighs. She can bear it. She is with the people she loves, where she belongs.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I choose the title after an 80s cheesy song? Yes, yes I did.
> 
> I hope you like this. It's my first actual fan fiction.


End file.
